A GLAM SLAM TALKS WOMEN’S SURFING, SUCCESS & STYLE WITH CARISSA MOORE

At just 21 years old, Carissa Moore claimed her second ASP World Title. The Hawaii native has cemented herself among surfing’s best, and she still has a bright career ahead of her. Her landmark achievements have helped women’s surfing to progress and she continues to push the boundaries within the sport. Moore hopes her continued efforts will serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others.

Adding to her impressive list of accomplishments, Carissa was also recognized by Glamour magazine for her sensational skill set, her success, and her efforts to help raise the profile of female surfing. She was recently honored at the publication’s “Women of the Year 2013” awards as “The Game Changer.”

Outside of the water, Moore is hitting the gym with her personal trainer, working with sponsors like Target and Hurley, and celebrating with her new lab terrier puppy, a reward for her second world surfing crown. Carissa dished to A Glam Slam on her ASP World Titles, the state of women’s surfing, her sponsors, and her personal style. Check it out:

You recently snagged your second ASP World Title. How is this win different (if at all) from the first title?

The second World Title was definitely more special to me because I got to prove to myself that the first one wasn’t just luck, and that I deserve to be here. I thought that was really cool. I put a lot of hard work into the second one. I really do believe that the second World Title is a lot harder to achieve than your first. It felt really good and to have my dream come true two times is amazing.

Is it true that you rewarded yourself with a puppy? How did that come about?

I did reward myself with a puppy; it was funny because there is a lot of silliness around me getting a dog. When we were at a press conference and I was like, hey everyone needs to lighten up! Since we were going to the last event and the World Title came down to the last event, there was a little tension in the room so I’m like, you know what, I’m just going to throw this out there and have people laugh. My boyfriend and I have wanted a puppy for awhile now but I’ve been on the road so much that I was like, hey you know this is going to be a great insight, I’ll have four months when I get home so let’s try for a puppy and if I win the World Title I’ll get one. So, it worked out and I have a little lab terrier mix puppy now.

You’ve achieved such great success at a young age. What’s the next big goal you hope to accomplish?

My next goal would be to just surf and inspire people through my surfing. I want to continue to improve my performances and become more innovative. There is always room for improvement so you know, just learning how to compete better and becoming a better athlete in general. I would also love to use my platform through surfing to inspire people to chase their dreams, be confident in who they are and embrace everything that they are about, because it’s beautiful and you bring something unique to the world just by being you. That is my personal goal.

In addition to your competitive schedule, you have a strict fitness regime. Can you describe your workouts?

There is no better training for surfing than surfing, but I do work with a trainer three times a week and I train on my own for probably two. I love working out with my trainer, Lisa Stewart. We do some boxing, we do plyometrics, we do a lot of excercises that involve bends, rotation, Swiss ball and rotational movements. She definitely keeps it fun. She has a lot of toys we get to play with. She keeps me feeling really good and ready to perform when I have to.

You’re sponsored by Nike, one of many sportswear brands that continue to incorporate high-fashion elements into their apparel. Do you like to dress up out of the water or do you tend to prefer fitness fashions?

To be honest, when I’m at home I either live in my pajamas, workout clothes, or my bathing suits. So I can definitely agree Nike has some great clothes and Hurley has a really great active line that is influenced by Nike that is super cute. It’s continued to grow so I can’t wait for everyone to check it out. But yeah, I love their stuff.

Is there a process for choosing your swimwear for each competition? Do you have any input on the creation/design of the items you wear?

Yeah it has been really fun. Actually, I have been up to Hurley Headquarters a few times. Hurley is one of my main sponsors, so I wear all of their attire when it comes to competing and when I’m hanging around I wear their attire all the time. It was really cool because I love wearing board shorts in the water. One of the things I have trouble with sometimes is that they fall off because they’re not as secure. So I said, hey why don’t we add in a tie on the side because the tie in the front really hurts when you lie down on the board. So they put it on the side and it works great and is actually in production now and selling in stores. I’m like, oh my gosh, I helped them with that and it’s really neat.

Target has also been one of your sponsors for quite awhile now. What about the brand resonates with you?

I love being a part of Target. I love the way they give back through St. Jude’s Hospital and how they give back to so many charities every year. You know, being a part of that is really special; they have supported me and my dreams in so many ways. They ask, what do I want to do and what do I want to achieve? They have helped me go there. I’ve gotten to go to Aspen and experience different athletes and how they are in their element, and it was really great to learn from them. They have a house on the North Shore so I’m comfortable and happy. I can be right there in the scene and learn from the best in our sport. It’s been a great experience with them and I am so lucky to be a part of their family.

You’ve been vocal about the state of the women’s tour, especially in comparison to the men’s side. What would you like to see improve/change?

It’s so exciting to be a part of women’s surfing right now. Girls are surfing better than they ever have and it’s exciting. I think what I would like to see for us and the tour is just to have better venues for us to perform in. Right now all our tour is in beach breaks so it would be great to have more high performance waves, bigger waves and some more reef breaks. I really do believe that a world champion should be crowned for being an all around amazing athlete; I think that would be great.

You’ve already helped to raise the profile of women’s surfing. In what ways can you continue to help the sport progress?

I think the biggest way the girls on tour can help is just to stand up for what they believe in. I feel in the past, our voice has not been heard so I think, hey we want to surf in the better waves and we need better venues. I think that eventually our voice will be heard and that will create change and our biggest goal is to leave a better tour for the next generation, so that will be the best legacy we could leave.